Sagittarius - Vision for the New Millennium

by Guru Rattana, Ph.D. - Issue #7, November 22, 1999

The Universe is an infinitely complex and constantly changing ocean of energy. Within this vast sea, the presence and the movements of the planets, the Sun and the Moon produce interweaving rivers of energy that open, close and create experiences and opportunities. In the river of time, what is happening as the year 2000, a new century and a new millennium are birthed into being? As the calendar turns to the year 2000, the most obvious message is that one era is over and a new one is beginning. One cycle of human experience is coming to completion and the next one is being born. The placement of the planets at this moment offers us information from the Universe on what is in store for us and how we might greet the new era.

The most significant planetary alignment on the eve of the New Millennium is the conjunction of Pluto and Chiron in the sign of Sagittarius. Let's look at what this means one piece at a time.

New Year's Eve Party

Conjunctions signify that two or more celestial bodies are in the sky at the same place and time. Conjunctions signify endings and beginnings. One cycle has reached completion and another one is being initiated. Conjunctions are openings, which give us the opportunity to switch gears, to break old patterns, to discard what is no longer relevant and to begin anew. Used wisely, the energy of conjunctions can help us take an evolutionary step forward.

Pluto is the planet associated with Scorpio, both of which symbolize death and rebirth. Pluto is the master of the underworld, the subconscious, the shadow and the unknown. Pluto pushes us into the deep inner experiences, which are necessary for us to evolve into more profound and aware levels of consciousness. Pluto, the Lord of Evolution, is thorough and leaves no stone unturned.

Chiron, an asteroid with an elliptical orbit, was discovered in 1977. Chiron is the archetype of the wounded healer. Chiron also symbolizes "the gifts from the garbage," i.e. by healing our wounds, we find our power. Chiron orbits between Saturn, the last of the personal planets and Uranus, the first of the outer planets.(1) Chiron is the bridge between earthly and transpersonal realities. Chiron helps us integrate human and spiritual dimensions of existence.

Chiron's energy acts like a catalyst. It creates realignment by disconnecting and freeing us from our normal routines and by introducing us to universal energies. Chiron helps us become whole by accessing untapped parts of ourselves and by transforming our wounds into power.

Sagittarius is the sign of the higher mind. Sagittarius plays an important role in what we believe is true and real. Beliefs, paradigms and worldviews are the territory of Sag. Our belief system determines what we consider possible, what we consider truth, and what gives us meaning. Our experiences, how we respond and our ability to perceive and create are delimited by the openness of our minds. Our worldview circumscribes what we recognize and perceive, out of the infinite field of possibilities of the Universe. It is the frame of reference of our minds that alters and colors our view and thus our path and the nature of our journey.

The Sagittarius in each of us quests for an experience of the higher mind, where our soul, not our limited human desires, opens us to the complete range of our potential, connects us to universal Truth and aligns us with the spiritual meaning of existence.

The Pluto-Chiron conjunction, fueled by the energy of Sagittarius, gives us an opportunity to look at and redefine our assumptions and perceptions, and to overcome the illusion of separation between matter and spirit, human and Divine. Restless Sag, relentless Pluto and electrical Chiron oblige us to explore new frontiers, to open new doors, and to discover new realities. Together Pluto and Chiron in Sagittarius portend a profound transformation in how we see, relate to and create our inner and outer realities.

Our biggest challenges at this time are to allow ourselves to actually experience, not just talk about (or deny), expanded realities, and to consciously own and use our creative powers. Sagittarius can help us expand our vision of ourselves and focus our energy on our grander goals.

Symbology of Sagittarius

The Centaur, half horse, half man is the most ancient symbol of Sagittarius. More recently, Sagittarius is represented as an Archer or Knight in shining armor on a white horse. The arrow is the astrological glyph or symbol. These three symbols embody three levels of consciousness of Sagittarius energy. We have defined these in previous issues as (1) personality-centered or ASLEEP, (2) awakening to the Soul-personality relationship or AWAKENING and (3) Soul-centered or AWAKE.

Sagittarius is a very human sign who struggles to free itself from, and at the same time integrate its mind, with its body and its instinctual desires. In the end, Sagittarius must embody and embrace its human animal nature, for as the symbol of the Centaur makes very clear, the body and animal nature of the beast is an integral part of the Centaur's identity. The Centaur is bound to the Earth from which it also gets its power. Sagittarius inherently knows there is always more. Sagittarius is always on a mission to experience a more expansive spiritual reality and complete self-identity.

The Knight or Archer represents awakening Sag. The Knight is riding the horse, i.e. the Knight is in control of its animal nature. It knows the difference between its instincts and its mind. The Knight with the drawn bow and arrow is the one-pointed disciple of the Truth.

The bow and arrow represent awakened Sag. The arrow is a metaphor for the clear shaft of Light that is released through the third eye of the initiate, who has brought his or her mind to the point of neutrality, beyond the negative and positive swings of the duality of the rational mind. As stated above, the territory of Sagittarius is the higher mind. Its real quest is to reach the state of consciousness where it experiences the Light in the mind. For it is this Light that expands its awareness. It is the Light of Spirit that opens it to the Truth, reveals its path, orients its aim, and leads on its destiny path.

Sagittarius Seeks the Light of Consciousness

Sagittarius seeks consciousness. Sag's burning desire is first to see and then to be lead by the Light. For it is the Light of consciousness that will reveal its purpose and its destiny path. With a clear vision of its goal, it can orient its energy to achieving its lofty objectives. Sag's quest is to discover its purpose in life. Yet to know one's purpose is not a simplistic task. To discover one's purpose requires preparation. Sagittarius must first acquire a new vision of itself. Sagittarius must first resolve its inherent animal-human duality. Sagittarius must integrate its instinctual and spiritual selves. Because the two aspects of self are fused or attached, integration and connection are the only way to transcend this inherent duality.

For Sagittarius this integration must be directed by the mind. The untamed desire nature of asleep Sagittarius controls and uses the mind for its own ends. Asleep Sagittarius cannot tell the difference between or define the relationship between its desire animal nature and its mind. Awakening Sagittarius must train its mind to tune into, listen to and eventually be lead by its instincts.

In an asleep personality, the instincts present themselves as insatiable lower desires that must be refrained or at least contained. Sagittarius must transcend this interpretation by direct experience of the nature of its own energies. Sagittarius must discover that the fire of its passion is but a denser version of the fire of Light in the mind. When this connection is actually experienced, the denser earthly energy serves as a source of energy that (1) connects the body with the mind, (2) releases the mind into the Light, and (3) provides a source of vital energy that engages the body to serve a higher purpose as defined by the higher mind.

The Sagittarius Path

Awakening Sagittarius is devoted to finding its inner truth. Adventuresome Sagittarius seeks out many experiences, for it is through subjective experiences that it gathers the knowledge that leads to a more conscious personal reality. The fire of enlightenment is gleaned from its earthly experiences. Sagittarius teaches us that understanding comes through experience.

Sagittarius is known for its zealous approach to life. Nothing can deter it from relentlessly pursuing its quest for the Holy Grail, which for Sagittarius is the Light in its own mind. Sagittarius must learn to use its knowledge and wisdom wisely. It must temper its eagerness to share, teach and uplift with the wisdom of silence. Sagittarius must learn right judgment and right use of mental energies. Immature Sagittarius can release its arrows at the wrong time. Misfiring can cause misunderstanding, unfulfilled objectives and an aborted mission. The innate Truth, which Sagittarius embodies, is revealed only after it has refined its aim and intuitively perceived and aligned with Divine Timing.(2)

To acquire and maintain its one-pointed focus and to access the Light of its inner eye, Sagittarius must harmonize all parts of itself and become one with all its energies. To reach this point of synthesis, Sagittarius must be guided on its path by its intuition. To be guided by its intuition is must be in touch with and follow the messages of its instinctual self. It develops its intellect to a higher expression by becoming sensitive to its intuitive and instinctual perceptions of the truth.(3) In doing so it not only gains invaluable information, it befriends and honors its animal nature. In the process Sagittarius integrates its mental energies with its instinctual forces and the horse and man become one.

Sagittarius embodies the Wisdom of the Ages. Sagittarius translates the Truth into meaningful human philosophies and guidelines. To acquire the power to know the Truth and to translate it into Wisdom, Sagittarius must one-pointedly pursue the vision of planetary healing and unification, and devote itself to the Higher Plan. Sagittarius is empowered to act for the highest good when it learns to ground its idealism and altruism in earthly pragmatism.

The Zodiac Sequence

Each sign of the Zodiac is a metaphor for a phase of the human spiritual journey. Libra cultivates the neutral inner place, which links its heart and head. Scorpio deals with its inner conflicts so it can clear itself for its journey, and empowers itself by taming its inner demons. Sagittarius acquires mental acumen so that it can focus on its goals. Scorpio lives in the underworld. Sagittarius moves onto the plains of the Earth. Sagittarius develops the spiritual attunement and defines its aspirations that are necessary for Capricorn to climb to the summit of its destiny.

The Happy Fire Sign

Jupiter is the Planet associated with Sagittarius. Jupiter allows and facilitates expansion. Jupiter is known as the benevolent Planet. Jupiter announces opportunities and brings good fortune. Sagittarius is usually optimistic, eager, happy and playful. Sagittarius is a fire sign, which is associated with the intuition, spirit and Light. The fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, all have an innate sense of their own individuality and identity. They often have unlimited vitality and are self-confident. Their enthusiasm comes not from what they have achieved, but from their own self-worth and passion for life itself. The fire signs possess a strong will and are driven by a deep sense of purpose. For Sagittarius the world offers infinite opportunities to explore, understand, expand and discover meaning.

Irresponsibility - Asleep Sag

Asleep Sagittarius can act indiscriminately, be driven toward excesses and be dogmatic and judgmental. Its impulses and desires control its mind . . . and it is not even aware that this is so because its instinctual nature and mental energies are not integrated or even conscious.

Asleep Sagittarius is often impulsively very busy, as the fire nature of its mind is always active creating desires to be satisfied, things to be done, goals to be sought after. Its emotional energies run wild, using and consuming its vital forces. Its adventures are fired by an unconscious, impulsive need for activity and satisfaction. It uses its fiery mind to create unrealistic ideals to justify and rationalize its impractical pursuits. Asleep Sagittarius is driven, but irresponsible and undisciplined. It wastes its energy in frivolous, unrealistic pursuits.(4)

Purpose - Awakening Sag

Awakening Sagittarius becomes aware that it must tame and integrate its instinctual and mental energies. It realizes that for its outer adventures to bring meaning to its life, it must make its inner journey its first priority. Its inner truth must guide its activities and define its mission in the physical world. Awakening Sagittarius must learn how to direct its life force. The archer's task is not to dominate his horse, but to learn to co-create with it, to let it guide him towards his mission. To do so he must respect its animal nature, treat it well, befriend it and indeed love it. This is absolutely necessary, as the fiery instinctual nature of the beast is both the fuel of his life and the gross matter of his intuition. Only when his horse is a stable integrated aspect of itself will it be able to hold a firm stance, maintain a steady hand, one-pointedly view and accurately aim his arrow towards his goal.

The raison d'être of Sagittarius is (1) the definition of its purpose, (2) the conscious orientation towards its goal, and (3) the acquisition of the self-discipline and grounding that are required to accomplish its goals in the material world. Sagittarius is guided by its vision. Awakening Sag's most burning desire is to define its vision, to establish its purpose in life and to unflinchingly aim its arrow toward its destiny path. Sag's unfolding reality is the Path that leads it towards its goal.

Destiny - Awake Sag

Destiny is the desire of awake Sag. Its emotional desire energy is transmuted into the Light of the intuition, which clearly guides its way. Awake Sagittarius identifies with its Soul through its higher mind. Awake Sagittarius has mastered the mind and its knowledge becomes wisdom. Sagittarius the student emerges as Sagittarius the teacher, the visionary, and the prophet. Sagittarius the teacher uplifts others and motivates them to follow their path and the Plan. The visionary inspires planetary citizens to commit to humanitarian goals. The prophet leads the world towards a universal purpose, awakening humankind to an expanded sense of Self and the collective. Sagittarius is wise enough to know that it cannot initiate others, but it is devoted and charismatic enough to bring its students to the Gate of his or her own destiny path.

Rebel with a Cause

One of the metaphors for Sagittarius is long journeys. Youthful Sagittarius travels to foreign lands and learns foreign languages. Adult Sagittarius is able to use the information that it has gathered in its travels to gain a perspective on life and to find a deeper cosmic meaning of existence. Later in life, its journeys will be within itself. Its inner experiences will lead Sagittarius to discover a broader context and higher spiritual laws that explain life. Natural and Universal Laws make themselves known through the intuition or "the means of perception whereby the intrinsic meaning of a person, a thing, or an experience is seen instantaneously, without analysis, against the broad framework of the meaning of life as a whole."(5) It is by cultivating the faculty of the intuition that Sagittarius perceives the expanded view of wholeness that it seeks.

Sagittarius is simultaneously the student, the teacher and the teachings. Sagittarius offers a life-long course in philosophy, religion and spirituality. "The Path" is Sagittarius territory. As it follows its Path, Sagittarius builds a framework of moral and spiritual values that give life meaning and structure.

Sagittarius seeks "peak experiences," where it can glean a direct experience of "God". Superficial morality, theological dogma and someone else's interpretation of God are an anathema to Sag. Sagittarius must become its own authority and this can happen only when it directly experiences the Divine. Sagittarius is a rebel with a cause. It revolts against external authorities and rules. Sag's real quest however is to break loose from its own narrow vision, judgments and opinions and free itself first by fully experiencing life itself, and then by personally connecting with universal energies.

The Path, Inner Authority and Freedom

Sagittarius knows that there is more than the mundane. It is determined to experience vaster realities. Sagittarius must release itself from its own prison by its firsthand direct spiritual experiences, which serve as the foundation that defines and nurtures its worldly mission and destiny path. Sagittarius must have an ideal by which it can live. It must have a vision that guides its way. It must have a dream to motivate it through thick and thin. Its ideals, its vision and its dreams are not superficial fantasies. They are a product of a direct understanding achieved through a questioning, penetrating and connected mind.

In the end, Sagittarius must be its own teacher. It is its inner authority that it seeks, for it knows that it is one's inner authority that gives one the power and the conviction to one-pointedly pursue the Path. Sagittarius finds freedom once it has found and is committed to its Path. It is this feeling of freedom that unleashes Sag's most magnetic and endearing qualities - enthusiasm, optimism, joy and the passionate celebration of life.

New Year's Resolutions

The New Year's Eve Pluto-Chiron rendezvous is not simply an event. Both planets will return to this gateway (11° Sag) several more times during the year 2000, thus creating an underlying theme for the year. This energy of profound transformation is available for all those who wish to take advantage of it. It will also effect the unaware and the resistant ones. It will be interesting to watch how we use it to impact our individual and collective lives.

The New Moon in Sagittarius December 7th is an auspicious day to get a headstart in setting our goals and intentions for the New Year. It is the energy of Sagittarius that evokes our desire to make New Year's resolutions that will bring more meaning and purpose into our lives. It is fitting that on New Year's Eve 1999 the galloping Centaur is leading us into the 21st century.

Raincatcher Intuition Meditation

Taught by Yogi Bhajan

Position

Right arm is stretched out in front of the body, elbow straight, horizontal to the ground, and palm up as if you were catching rain and gifts that are showered upon you. The top part of the left arm is parallel to the ground. The elbow is bent so the forearm is perpendicular to the ground. The left hand faces forward. The thumb is over the nail of the ring finger. The other 3 fingers are straight up. Keep the spine straight. Relax the shoulders. Eyes are closed looking at the tip of the chin.

Timing, Attention

Hold this position for 11 minutes. Be aware of how it works on the prana or breath. Be completely aware of what is happening every moment. Do not move. Each time you move the profit or opportunities escape from your hands. Be aware. Keep your elbow straight. Steady. Don't move.

To End

To end, make your hands like tiger claws, inhale and turn to the left. Come back to center and exhale. Inhale and turn to the right. Come back to center and exhale.(7)

Benefits

This meditation is very effective for developing the intuition and opening the third eye. There is no higher state of intuition than when your third eye and navel are connected. When you achieve this integration, your intuition is a continuous experience in your life.

Sagittarius Meditation - Nov 22 through Dec 20

(added by Guru Rattana) his is an ideal meditation to practice during the period when the Sun is in Sagittarius - November 22-December 20. It integrates the instinctual energy of the body, which can be gathered and focused in the navel center (2-3 inches below the belly button) with the intuitive mind. When this connection is made our physical instinctual energies and mental intuitive energies operate as a unit. The right hand is open to receive the opportunities and gifts that Jupiter showers upon us. It is the nature of Jupiter to bring us gifts, but we must be available and willing to receive them. This meditation helps us be present so when the mailman comes we are home to receive our packages.

References and Footnotes

1. The personal planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These are also known as the inner planets because their orbit is relatively close to Earth. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, known as the outer planets, are much father away from the Earth.

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